What stats should I use for a private investigator? Im thinkin I should wear the duster because thats the closest to a trench coat, and the pre-war hat. Any other tips?

Mustache.

Depends, are you going the Matlock (fumble along method) or the super brainy Sherlock Holmes route?

I wanna be like a suave P.I , more like the Downey Jr. version of Sherlock in the Guy Ritchie film.. and a mix of Deckard from Blade Runner.. always liked his style.

High Perception, decent intelligence, hold out weapons.

I'd would say High perception (like 8, with implant and your hat that be 10) and like 9 intelligence, if your going for more of Downey Jr. Sherlock then seems like u should have lower charisma like 3. focus on your gun and sneak stats. I'd use unarmed as my secondary.

P.S.

this character sounds like a really fun play through it gives reason to do all the side quests for random people and have it relate to your characters back story of a PI i might try this after my Fallout 3 big guns play through

S: 4
P: 7
E: 5
C: 6
I: 8
A: 6
L: 5

Prioritize in small arms, such as revolvers and the 9mm pistol. I know in Primm there's a sherrif's duster you can get in the sherrif's house when you first go into the town. Pre-war hat, definately. Gunslinger moustache, if you're going for the "hairy" approach.

A http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Bounty_Hunter_Duster and a http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Pre-war_Hat_(Fallout_New_Vegas) with a http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/.357_magnum_revolver or http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/.44_magnum_revolver_(Fallout:_New_Vegas).

I'd say go an almost-MacGyver style where you have to use all the available benches and make everything by hand. That would be terrible on my patience but it sounds a really good twist, its arguably off-context than a P.I.

For that I'd say a high PER;INT;CHR and scatter everything else; basically because I'd expect an investigator to spot things sharply, PER; Sherlock Holmes like sharpness, INT, and a witty but persuasive attitude, CHR.

EDIT: Apparel wise I'd nominate Mysterious Stranger as a perfect sample.

Reno

Out of my five role-plays, this one is definitely the most fun.

Richard "dike" Mantis, Private Investigator:


S 7
P 7
E 8
C 3
I 8
A 7
L 8

Skills: Maxed Gun, Maxed Unarmed, 75 in Speech, 50 in Lock-pick, 90 in Repair, Maxed Sneak

Perks: Lady Killer, Gunslinger, Mysterious Stranger (This is your partner,always arriving to the scene in the last minute), Silent Running, Jury Rigging, Finesse, Toughness 2, Slayer, Grim Reapers Sprint, Piercing Strike...

The Private Detective uses Alcohol to raise his strength, like all good noir P.I.s do...

The only weapons you can use: That Gun (The Deckard Gun...need I say more?), Maria, Mysterious Magnum, Silenced 12.7 pistol, Brass Knuckles, Golden Gloves...

The "dike" wears: Benny's Suit, Dirty or Grimy business wear, Fedora (Any style)...

The true role-play factor here is to think of quests as cases, asking for compensation up front is not morally wrong since your a contracted detective. The P.I. has no companions except for your partner, the Mysterious Stranger...

The biggest tease in the game is seeing the perfect trench coat on a corpse and not being able to loot it. But yeah, I'd say duster or grimy businesswear, with points in Unarmed and/or Guns, Lockpick, Sneak, and Speech.

Thanks for the help guys, I'm gonna set up my new character later today.

I wouldn't go with the duster...you'll look like a cowboy in a fashion crisis. Sure you want to go for the Sam Spade look, but your just as good with the Jack Gittes attire.

I am probably a masochist, but I would build my character as:

S: 4
P: 8
E: 3
C: 8
I: 8
A: 3
L: 6

I would tag Energy weapons, Barter, and Sneak....I usually go low AGI since I rarely ever use VATS. My first priority would be to get PEWPEW (works as good holdout weapon) to fit my pistol packin' PI style. I prefer mind over matter and specialize accordingly. I would try to get the businesswear, authority glasses, and some kind of spiffy hat. Violent altercations increase my operating costs so I try to avoid them as much as possible. A high barter helps me negotiate better contracts and gets the Pack Rat perk to help with carting around tons of ammo for my pistol.

S: 5
P: 4
E: 5
C: 6
I: 6
A: 8
L: 6

Authority glasses, Dapper Gambler Hat, Benny's Suit, or Sheriff's Duster, and a .357 fully modded. :thumbsup:

Because a PI always wants to blend in. :hehe: